1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable electronic devices and, more particularly, to systems and techniques for removal of covers from such portable electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The pace of innovation in portable electronic devices continues to accelerate. Through innovations in hardware and software, multipurpose functionalities such as those of a digital camera, cellular telephone and media player can all be integrated into a single device, which can provide consumers with enhanced device performance and convenience. Examples such innovative portable electronic devices, which have achieved great popularity with consumers, are the iPhone™ and iPod™ products offered by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.
In addition to such increases in functionality, consumers also have increasing expectations for the appearance and form factor of portable electronic devices. Consumers may want devices that are not only fully capable but also relatively thin and lightweight and perhaps fashionable.
Naturally, significant engineering challenges must be overcome, in order to integrate various components into thin or low profile portable electronic devices. In can be particularly challenging to find ways to integrate one or more pieces (e.g., thin sheets) of glass or plastic into such designs. Glass or plastic may be used for covering displays, touch panels, camera assemblies or the like for portable electronic devices.
The principles of design for manufacturing may be employed in the engineering arts for designing products in such a way that they are easy to manufacture. Accordingly, various assembly techniques may be used, to ease and simplify the integration of glass or plastic, so as to provide for manufacturability of thin, low profile portable electronic devices. While such assembly techniques may provide many advantages, further difficulties may still remain. For example, one difficulty is that it can be difficult to disassembly portable electronic devices that incorporate glass or plastic into their design. Thus, there is a need for improved approaches to disassembly of portable electronic devices.